In short
- A crack fix as a small job: $75–150 on HomeStars' Gloucester (Ottawa) page. Billed by the hour: $85–120 in its Ottawa guide.
- Tarion treats a ceiling/wall crack wider than 4 mm as outside the acceptable condition in a new home, and tells owners to wait for the framing to settle before repairing.
- Paint is a separate line. HomeStars Gloucester lists small painting at $200–400 per room or area plus materials.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Minor repairs: patching walls, small fixes | $75–150 | Per job, HomeStars Gloucester (Ottawa) page, undated |
| Handyman time for patching, caulking, minor carpentry | $85–120/h | HomeStars Ottawa guide, updated 21.08.2026 |
| Drywall contractor project, Ottawa | $200–11,000 | Average $2,619; 49 homeowner reports to March 2022, so dated |
Sources. Seen 29.10.2026: HomeStars, Handyman in Gloucester, Ottawa (undated); HomeStars, How much does a handyman cost in Ottawa? (updated 21.08.2026); TaskRabbit, Drywall repair in Ottawa; HomeStars, Drywall contractors cost guide Ottawa (figures to March 2022). Rules: Tarion, Construction Performance Guidelines for freehold homes and condominium units, articles 9.4 to 9.6 (edition updated 6 June 2024, so check the current edition); Tarion, warranty coverage after you close; Ontario, your rights when starting home renovations or repairs.
What kind of crack is it
Cracks in drywall come in a few shapes, and each one points somewhere different.
- Seam crack. A straight line along the tape between two boards, on a wall or ceiling. The most common kind.
- Corner crack. A line in the inside corner where two walls meet, or where the ceiling meets a wall.
- Door and window corner crack. A diagonal line that starts at the top corner of an opening.
- Wide crack. A gap a coin slides into, or a line that changes width.
Tarion’s guideline for new homes says cracks turn up often in drywall compound at joints, particularly at corners, and that most result from normal shrinkage as materials dry. For a seam, a corner or the head of a door, the repair is a drywall job. A crack that keeps widening or comes with a stain needs a line of its own in the request.
Why Ottawa homes crack in the cold months
A heated house in January sits against outdoor air far colder than inside. That temperature gap is what Tarion blames for truss uplift, described in the FAQ: the roof trusses lift relative to the walls and open the ceiling joint. That is why a crack filled in February can come back, and why many companies prefer to return after the heating season.
New houses add shrinkage: lumber and compound dry for the first year or two while the framing moves.
What the repair involves
The company opens the crack with a blade, bridges it with tape, then builds the surface with thin coats of compound. Each coat dries and is sanded before the next. Ceilings also need texture matched; the ceiling repair page covers that.
What moves the price
The drywall repair cost guide has the full table. For cracks, these things move the number:
- Count and length. Ten short cracks take more time than one long one.
- Height. Ceilings and stairwells call for scaffolding or tall ladders.
- Paint. Small painting on the Gloucester page runs $200–400 a room or area, materials extra. A repainted strip beside an old wall stays visible, so companies often offer the full wall.
Minor wall repairs are listed at $75–150 a job on the HomeStars Gloucester page. Larger drywall projects in HomeStars’ Ottawa data ranged from $200 to $11,000, with an average of $2,619 from 49 homeowner reports up to March 2022.
Warranty and who pays
In the first year after possession of a new home, report cracks to your builder in writing. Tarion’s one-year warranty covers defects in work and materials, and its guideline leaves out cracks resulting from normal shrinkage of materials. Tarion states that repairing those is at the builder’s discretion and that sanding and repainting are optional. Many owners therefore book a private repair after the first heating season.
Major cracks in basement walls from soil movement fall under Tarion’s seven-year structural warranty. That is a foundation question, outside a drywall visit.
The written quote
Ontario wants anything above $50 in a written contract, and the bill held within 10% of any estimate the contract contains unless you agree to new work. List each crack or area, the method, the coats, whether paint is in, and what happens if the crack reopens. The handyman or trade page shows where a handyman’s scope ends.
Who fills the cracks
The desk passes your crack list to one independent local company. It calls you, books the visit, prices the repair and the paint, and does both.
Questions to ask the company
- Do you fill the crack, tape it and skim it, or only fill it? How long does each hold?
- My crack runs along a ceiling joint. Do you wait for the cold season to pass before you repair it?
- Is the whole wall primed and painted, or only the strip over the crack?
- If the crack reopens, what do you do and what do you charge?
- How many visits will it take, counting drying between coats?
Have this ready for the call
- A photo of each crack in daylight, with a tape measure or a coin beside it
- The length of each crack and its width at the widest point, in millimetres if you can
- The year the house was built, and the possession date if new
- The paint colour name and sheen from the can label
Questions people ask
Why do cracks open at the top corners of rooms in winter?
Tarion describes truss uplift as a crack or gap where ceiling meets wall that can appear when outdoor temperatures are considerably colder than indoor ones. The roof trusses move relative to the walls. Tarion’s advice is to wait for the truss to come back down, so a fix made in January may reopen.
How wide is too wide for a crack?
Tarion’s guideline for ceiling/wall joint separation in new homes accepts cracks from normal shrinkage and places a crack wider than 4 mm outside the acceptable condition. The 4 mm figure is a warranty yardstick and says nothing about structure. Put the width in millimetres in the request so the company can judge the repair.
Can a crack be painted over?
Paint hides a hairline for a short time. A crack in joint compound usually comes back if the movement behind it continues, and painted-over cracks often show through again at the next season change. Ask the company which method it uses on yours and what it gives for the repair.
How soon after moving into a new house should I repair cracks?
Tarion’s guideline says shrinkage repairs wait until the framing has settled, and shrinkage cracks are at the builder’s discretion under the one-year warranty. Record the cracks in writing to your builder during the first year, then book the repair after the first heating season.
Why does the crack follow the line of the tape?
Tarion’s guideline says cracks turn up often in joint compound at seams, particularly at corners. Tape and compound sit over the joint between two boards, so any small movement shows first along that line. The repair re-tapes and finishes the seam, with paint after.
